Hamilton, Kemp? Blah! Gibbons, Puig among summer's big crushes

June 28, 2013 12:32 PM ET

My cat, on the advice of the veterinarian, is on Zyrtec. My dog, also allergy-ridden, is on Benadryl. My backyard grill, broken in as well as my old John Mayberry first-base glove once was, is getting a workout.

Summer, as The Cars once sang. It turns me upside down.

Summer crushes

Ah, I still remember Lori stepping out of her mom's black Thunderbird to pick up her brother from those steamy preseason high school cross country practices each August before the school year started.

5. Munenori Kawasaki, Blue Jays: The guy got a standing ovation in Toronto last weekend for successfully bunting a man over. Munenori Kawasaki is so lovable, I bet even the Sabermetricians in the crowd who hate the bunt were standing and applauding. Worst moment of this season so far well may be when he was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo when Jose Reyes was activated this week.

4. John Gibbons, Blue Jays: Look, he's a modern-day Billy Martin! Love that the Blue Jays brought him back for a second tour of duty. Nobody works a bullpen with more skill, which is part of the reason why the Jays are making a strong comeback. And, unprecedented, he called a team meeting this week to inform the Jays their beloved teammate, Kawasaki, was being sent out to activate Reyes. Nobody does that.

3. Oakland A's: The great Red Smith once wrote that rooting for the Yankees was like rooting for US Steel. Rooting for Bob Melvin's Athletics is like rooting for the kids running the makeshift lemonade stand on the corner. Give me 500 glasses, kids. And hold the sugar.

2. Matt Harvey, Mets: Getting more and more difficult to make the case against Matt Harvey starting for the National League in the All-Star Game. What a Mets moment this could be.

1. Yasiel Puig, Dodgers: Put aside the numbers. Which are sick. You simply can't take your eyes off of Yasiel Puig wherever he is on the field. He may go deep. He may fire a pea to nail a runner at third. He may ill-advisedly try to stretch a double into a triple.

Summer catches

Catch 'em before you can't.

5. Paul Konerko, White Sox: As classy and steady as there has been in the game, and every bit as meaningful to the White Sox as Derek Jeter is to the Yankees. At 37 and in the last year of his contract and the wheels are going a little threadbare.

4. Todd Helton, Rockies: Mr. Rockie for 17 years. Enjoy him while you can.

3. Davey Johnson, Nationals: "World Series or bust," he proclaimed this spring. Everyone knows this is the final lap for the 70-year-old manager. But will it end in September instead of October?

2. Vin Scully, Dodgers: "It's time for Dodgers baseball" sets hearts a-fluttering all over Los Angeles in the summertime. My guess: "It's time for Marlins baseball" would even sound golden if uttered by Scully. The icon is in his 64th year with the Dodgers, an incredible feat. Order your MLB Extra Innings package now so you can hear the game's poet laureate at work before he retires, which hopefully won't be for another 64 years.

1. Mariano Rivera, Yankees: Like Muhammad Ali: The Greatest. Even retirees in Sacramento are tuning in to savor his final saves.

Best summer stories

Even better than a John Grisham paperback page-turner at the beach.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks: Don't be fooled by all of that "grit" talk. There's a little (maybe even a lot) of talent here, too. Have you seen Paul Goldschmidt swing it?

4. Cleveland Indians: Terry Francona, Mr. Culture Changer.

3. Cabrera's Triple Crown pursuit: Can Miguel Cabrera become the first man ever to win back-to-back Triple Crowns? Baltimore's Chris Davis will have something to say about that in the home run department.

2. San Diego Padres: In his spare time, Bud Black pulls rabbits out of hats and the Queen of Diamonds from behind your ear.

1. Pittsburgh Pirates: Hey Pops Stargell, Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Gerrit Cole and Co. are so close to adding another special chapter to a special franchise's legacy.

Summer songs

Car window down, stereo cranked up.

5a. All Summer Long, Kid Rock: "Splashin' by the sand bar, talkin' by the camp fire, it's the simple things in life like when and where."

2a. Jean Segura's burst: Leads the NL in hits and is tied with Brewers Carlos Gomez for the lead in triples. Summer is for sequels and the Brewers have Ignitor II. Can he develop as brilliantly as Paul Molitor did?

Best summer secrets

5. It stays light until 9:30 or 10 p.m. in the Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest: Shhh, don't tell anyone. Or people will flee Florida and Arizona in a reverse-snowbird trend.

4. Jose Fernandez, Marlins: Speaking of Florida, yes, there are at least a couple of reasons to pay attention to the (improving) Marlins. Fernandez is one of them.

3. Coconut water: Mmmmm.

2. Josh Donaldson, A's: Is it me, or does he hit one home run every evening?

1. Padres defense: Slicker than your old backyard slip-n-slide. Seriously. These guys can pick it, grab it, dive after it and contort themselves in every other direction to Hoover the baseballs into the gloves.

Best ice cream

Because it is one of the essential food groups this time of year.

5. Adele's Frozen Custard, Excelsior, Minn.: The Flavor of the Day is so good it is worth returning to every … single … day … all … summer … long.

4. Gilles Frozen Custard, Milwaukee: Favored by both commissioner Bud Selig and me. The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup custard is just about perfect.

3. Friendly's: I'll take a Reese's Pieces Sundae, please. Or a Fribble.

2. Baskin-Robbins Jamocha Almond Fudge: As timeless a classic as the toaster.

1a. Yadier Molina, Cardinals, and Buster Posey, Giants: See you at the All-Star Game.

Overrated

But it's hard to get angry in the summer, isn't it?

5. The Wave: Please ... just ... stop.

4. Throwing it back: If you are in the seats at Wrigley Field, where the art of tossing back a rival's home run was invented, by all means, do it. If you are anywhere other than Wrigley, sorry, it is just a cheap imitation of the original. If you don't want the ball, at least give it to the kid next to you.

3. Flying: They've squeezed the seats so close together your knees are in your chin. It takes three days to unfold and stretch back out. Miserable and inhumane. And that's before we even get to the security lines.

2. Cracker Jack: Not to sound un-patriotic, but does anybody eat this anymore?

Underrated

As Kid Rock sings, it's the simple things in life like when and where.

5. Parking 10 blocks away from the ballpark and walking: Forget the price of tickets. Who can afford parking? Besides, who couldn't use a nice walk on a summer evening?

4. John Fogerty's new disc:Wrote a Song for Everyone, which includes collaborations with Bob Seger, Foo Fighters, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Jennifer Hudson, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert and others, is terrific. Besides, don't you need something from Fogerty other than Centerfield after all of these years?

3. Sirius/XM satellite radio: Every game, every night, local broadcasters. You can get a feel for what's going on in Milwaukee, what the weather is in Minnesota and our pal Alex Rodriguez's latest tweets in New York. You can do all of this while sitting outside on your patio until late, ice chest nearby, chips and salsa on the table, talking with friends into the night.

2. Triples: The most exciting play in baseball.

1. Extra innings: So far in 2013, according to Stats LLC, 10.6 percent of major-league games have gone to extra innings. This continues, it will be the highest rate since 1965, when 11 percent of games went into extra innings. Keep 'em coming.

Best summer baseball memories

5. Summer rec-league softball: Anticipation of those week-night games helped make the time go more quickly while working my summer job. The last gasps of a Pete Rose wannabe (ah, those head-first slides on the dusty infields!).

4. Pickup games in the park as a kid: Does anybody play pickup games anymore? Ever? Everything is so formal and organized. I blame adults everywhere.

3. Slinging my glove over the handlebars of my old Schwinn: And pedaling. Anywhere.

2. Wiffle Ball: Love Wiffle Ball.

1. Listening to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey on WJR: At home. In the backyard. In the ticket booth working my summer job at a state park on Lake Erie. In the car. (Sounds like the plot line for a Dr. Seuss book, doesn't it?!).